Container with overwrap



Sept. 15,, 1970 J. H. LOCK 3528 598 CONTAINER WITH OVERWRAP Filed May 29, 1969 28 2 FIG. 4

INVENTOR.

JOSEPH H. LOCK ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,528,598 CONTAINER WITH OVERWRAP Joseph H. Lock, Mableton, Ga., assignor to The Mead Corporation, a corporation of Ohio Filed May 29, 1969, Ser. N 0. 828,966 Int. Cl. B65d /02 US. Cl. 229-38 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A container having an overwrap and constituting bottom, top and side walls foldably joined to form a tubular structure and having end closure panels is constructed by utilizing a special glue flap construction together with a cooperating cutaway portion of the bottom wall of the container adjacent to which the glue flap is secured to the bottom wall. In order to render the overwrap readily removable, weakened severance lines are formed in the overwrap and are disposed substantially out of coincidence with and upwardly of the side edges of the bottom wall of the carton along the side walls so that when the overwrap is removed by tearing along the severance lines the remaining end portions which are secured to the carton bottom wall are readily grasped and torn away.

US. Pat. 3,424,367 issued Jan. 28, 1969, discloses a carton of the overwrap type wherein one end of a sheet of overwrap material is disposed between a glue flap and an inner edge portion of an adjacent side wall. This arrangement is objectionable because the interposed end portion of the overwrap prevents the formation of a secure joint between the glue flap and the cooperating portion of an adjacent side wall. In addition, the overwrap of Pat. 3,424,367 is provided with weakened severance lines which are disposed in substantial coincidence with the side edges of the bottom wall of the carton. When so disposed it is possible for frayed edges of the end portions of the overwrap which are secured to the bottom wall of the container to mar the exterior appearance of the carton by protruding outwardly from the side edges of the bottom wall.

According to the present invention, the glue flap of a main blank of a carton is nested into an adjacent blank so as to form a cutaway portion of one wall panel of the adjacent blank. When the carton is assembled, the cutaway portion of the wall of the blank exposes a portion of the associated glue flap to which one end of the overwrap is affixed. Another area of the glue flap is firmly secured along the entire edge portion of the cutaway part of the carton wall so as to form a secure corner for the carton. In addition weakened severance lines are formed in the overwrap sheet and such severance lines are spaced upwardly from the bottom edges of the bottom panel and lie along the side walls. Thus when the overwrap is torn away by severing the overwrap along the weakened severance lines, the remaining portions may be grasped readily and completely detached from the container bottom wall.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carton which is formed according to this invention; FIG. 2 is a plan view of the main blank used in the formation of the carton shown in FIG. 1 and about which a sheet of overwrap material is affixed; FIG. 3 is an enlarged portion of one corner of the bottom of the carton shown in FIG. 1 and in which FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line designated 44 in FIG. 3.

In the drawing, the numeral 1 generally designates the main blank while the numeral 2 designates a sheet of Patented Sept. 15, 1970 overwrap material which is a transparent film affixed to the main blank 1 according to one feature of this invention. The numeral 3 generally designates another main blank similar to FIG. 1 and which blank is shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2 to illustrate the nested feature of the invention.

As is best shown in FIG. 2 the main blank comprises a top panel designated by the numeral 4 in which a window of generally elliptical configuration is formed and designated by the numeral 5. End flaps 6 and 7 are foldably joined to the end edges 8 and 9 of top wall 4 respectively. Side walls 10 and 11 are foldably joined to top wall 4 along fold lines 12 and 13 respectively. End flap 14 is foldably joined to side wall 10 along fold line 15 while end flap 16 is foldably joined to side wall 10 along fold line 17. Similarly the other side wall 11 is provided with end flaps 18 and 19 which are foldably joined to side Wall 11 along the end edges 20 and 21 thereof respectively. Bottom wall panel 22 is foldably joined to side wall 10 along fold line 23 and end flaps 24 and 25 are foldably joined to bottom wall panel 22 along fold lines 26 and 27 respectively.

For cooperating with the bottom wall panel 22, a glue flap 28 is foldably joined to side wall 11 along fold line 29.

As is apparent from FIG. 2, the glue flap 28 is disposed in nested relation with the adjacent carton blank designated by the numeral 3. Stated otherwise, the cutaway portion 30 of bottom wall panel 22 is defined by the glue flap 28 of an adjacent blank. In FIG. 2 the overwrap 2 is shown affixed to main blank 1. Ordinarily the overwrap is afiixed to the main blank after the main blank is cut and scored.

In order to provide a closure means for the elliptical opening 5 formed in top wall 4 and to provide removable advertising area which is detachable by the end user from the carton, the sheet of overwrap material 2 is affixed to the main blank 1 preferably as shown in FIG. 2. For example, the edge portion 31 of the sheet of overwrap material designated by the numeral 2 is affixed by glue preferably or by other means to the edge of bottom panel 1 which is adjacent to the fold line 23. A weakened severance line designated at 32 is formed within the end portion 31 of overwrap 2. According to this invention the weakened severance line 32 is spaced toward the right as viewed in FIG. 2. from the fold line 23 and hence lies along side wall 10.

At the other end of the overwrap sheet 2, a weakened severance line designated by the numeral 33 is formed in the overwrap. As is apparent from FIG. 2 this weakened severance line is spaced to the left of fold line 29 and hence lies along side wall 11. Of course the right hand end of overwrap sheet 2 is secured to glue flap 28 by an application of glue which is adjacent the right hand end edge of the overwrap 2 as indicated by cross marks.

In order to complete the carton for shipment to the user such as a manufacturer of facial tissues and the like, an application of glue is made to glue flap 28 in the region designated by stippling in FIG. 2. Thereafter side wall 11 is folded downwardly and underneath top wall 4 along fold line 13. Thereafter bottom wall panel 22 is folded downwardly and underneath side wall panel 10 along fold line 23. These folding operations cause the inside surface of the left band edge of bottom panel 22 which is indicated by stippling in FIG. 2 to become atfixed to the exterior surface area of glue flap 28.

When loaded, the carton is set up to form an open ended tubular structure and the contents are inserted into one end of the carton and the end flaps are folded into closed positions and glued in conventional manner as is well known in the art to form the complete loaded set-up container as shown in FIG. 1.

As is apparent from FIG. 4, the glue flap 28 is secured along its entire right hand portion to the coinciding portion of bottom wall 22 so that the corner defined by glue flap 28, bottom wall panel 22 and side wall 11 is securely formed due to the fact that the overlapping portions of glue flap 28 and of bottom wall 22 are in firm securely glued contact across the entire face contacting areas thereof.

The fact that weakened severance lines 32 and 33 are spaced upwardly from the side edges 23 and 29 of the bottom wall insures that removal of the overwrap 2 along the weakened severance lines leaves an exposed portion which can be readily grasped to insure complete removal of the ends of the overwrap 2 thus to provide a container which is attractive in appearance.

Furthermore as is apparent from FIGS. 3 and 4, the portion of the overwrap 2 which is afiixed to glue flap 28 is in a protected zone defined by the edges of bottom wall panel 22 which edges are designated in the drawings by the numerals 34, 35 and 36. From FIG. 4 it is obvious that panel 22 is thicker in a vertical dimension than is the end portion of the overwrap material 2. Thus the tendency for inadvertent tearing or disruption of the junction of the end portion of overwrap 2 to the glue flap 28 is minimized.

In order to facilitate gluing of the overwrap .2 to the right hand edge of bottom panel 22 an embossed area may be formed in panel 22 as defined by the dotted lines 37, 38, 39 and 23. The embossed area projecting downwardly somewhat from the bottom surface of bottom panel 22 affords a readily accessible area to which the end of overwrap 2 may be aflixed.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A container comprising foldably joined top, bottom and side walls arranged to form a tubular structure, means forming end closures for said tubular structure, a sheet of overwrap material secured about at least a portion of the exterior surface of said tubular structure, one corner of the container being defined by a glue flap foldably joined to an edge of a first wall of the container and by a second container wall to an area of which said glue flap is secured, said area of said second wall being spaced from said one corner of the container and a portion of said second wall which is interposed between said area thereof and said one corner being cutaway, one end of said sheet of overwrap material being secured to said glue flap in coincidence with said cutaway portion of said second wall and the opposite end of said sheet of overwrap material being secured to an exterior surface of a wall of the container other than said first wall.

2. A container according to claim 1 wherein said glue flap is configured so that at least one edge portion thereof corresponds with an edge of said second wall which is defined by the cutaway portion thereof.

3. A container according to claim 1 wherein said opposite end of said sheet of overwrap material is secured in face contacting relation to an exterior part of said second wall which is remote from said one corner of the container.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,950,040 8/1960 Bolding 22938 3,026,014 3/1962 Cornell et al 22938 3,335,937 8/1967 Kramer 229-38 3,424,367 1/1969 Desmond et al 229-38 DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 20645.31 

